This invention is a method for separating fats and oils contained in waste water to yield clean water which can be discharged either be re-used or discharged without harming the environment.
Since waste water from plants generally contains various fats and oils that tend to contaminate surroundings and disrupt the environment if discharged into rivers, lakes, etc., these fats and oils should be removed before discharge. In general, however, such fats and oils are present in waste water at levels from 100 parts per million to several tens of thousand PPM in the form of an emulsion, and thus the separation and extraction of such fats and oils from waste water are difficult to carry out.
Extensive studies have therefore been conducted in various fields, and various methods have been proposed. However, in all of these processes, numerous drawbacks may be cited as follows:
1. Large-scale equipment is required. PA1 2. Additives required for separation are difficult to recover, resulting in high operating costs. PA1 3. Knowledge of chemistry is required, and thus the processes can be employed only with difficulty by smaller companies. PA1 4. Separation of fats and oils is not complete, and tend to be discharged in small amounts together with the treated water.
In view of the above, no satisfactory processes are as yet available, and effective means for the separation of fats and oils from waste water are much desired.